'Nana Bread

After tasting Julie's banana bread last week, I couldn't stop thinking about making some of my own. I got a copy of Julie's banana bread recipe, which comes from the Silver Palate Cookbook and bought a couple loaf pans (long overdue in my kitchen). So I made the loaf pictured above last week and then figured the next time, I could make some adjustments. Not that it wasn't good already, of course. The next time I made it, I added cinnamon (I was surprised there wasn't any cinnamon in the recipe) and a teensy bit of vanilla bean paste (not sure if it made a difference).

I've put Nutella on it, and when I ran out of Nutella, I put a little butter on with a swirl of honey. Yum!

Southern Comfort

Last Friday, I left NY for a weekend mini break in Chapel Hill, NC, visiting Jennie and Julie!

Their new home town is so pretty and quaint. I suppose it helps that UNC was on spring break, so everything seemed really peaceful. I really appreciated the relatively TV-free weekend, as we watched only the UNC basketball games, and left the set off when we were home. In my apartment, if Josh is home, the TV is always on, even if there's nothing on.

I had some genuine southern barbecue at Mama Dip's and the biggest, fluffiest, tastiest biscuit EVER at Sunday brunch. Julie also baked a delicious banana bread while Jennie and I were out shopping for books that we really don't need. But we really do. We tried a used bookstore that even Jennie hadn't visited yet, and it had a romance section (lots of used bookstores are too high in the instep to stock romance) and a gentle giant of a boxer dog.

It took me forever to get home on Sunday evening though, with my original arrival time in NY scheduled for 8:00, my flight was delayed so boarding didn't start until 8:00. Add the backed up flights at JFK, and I didn't get off the plane until 11:00. I have the most wonderful boyfriend in the world who waited for 1 1/2 hours and didn't even get mad about it.

People at work who hear my description of the weekend (books, no TV, reading, and playing cards) probably think it was terribly boring, but it was just right for me.

Thanks for having me over, ladies. I can't wait for my next visit!

Weekend trips

My favorite part of our weekend routine is food shopping at Fairway in Red Hook. Josh has been digging his feet for months, saying we can't go because Red Hook is a shady neighborhood. My friend was telling me that it's perfectly fine if you go in the daytime, so Josh gave in, and when we got there, he asked me why haven't we been going shopping there all along. Ha!

The market is right on the water, with a lovely view, and it's a really nice weekend thing for us to do together.

Farewell Wellington

Wellington, or Wellie, as I've been calling him lately, has left his bathroom in my apartment.

His new mommy came by this morning to meet him, after a week of my telling her how sweet the little guy is. I was afraid that I'd cry when she said that Wellie was a wonderful cat. But I was a good foster mom and went through his checkup at the vet's, his remaining antibiotics and the canned and dry foods I'd been feeding him.

Then the time came for Wellie to go to his new home, where Morty and Eli wouldn't swat at him from under the bathroom door. I went to the bathroom by myself to pick him up for the last time, give him a snuggle, and back out of the room so he wouldn't see the carrier. Then his last memory of my hospitality was being stuffed into a carrier and holding him down so I could zip the top up.

Then he was gone, and my bathroom feels strangely empty when I walk by.

Happy new year!

Happy new year, from my kitties to yours!

The cat who came to breakfast

Remember Wellington?

Well, this isn't him, if I compare his markings with the cat who used to show up (and I haven't seen since last winter).

This morning, I was getting ready to travel to Jersey City for lunch with a friend when I heard crying from the front windows. I looked out and there was this little black and white cat, crying his heart out. I shook Josh awake and showed him, and there was a moment where he asked me if he should get the cat and he didn't have to wait for an answer from me.

He left, but the cat had started walking up the street. I followed after Josh a few minutes later and when I got to the sidewalk, I saw Josh coming back from the top of the street, with the little cat trotting beside him. He came back to our building, where we fed him and got him into a carrier. My lunch plans went kablooey and I went to the vet with the little guy.

$170 later, he's dewormed and tested negative for feline leukemia and AIDS. Everyone at the vet's office was asking if he'd found a home with us, and he is such a sweet and affectionate little guy. However, our apartment is too small for three cats, even though I'd love to keep him. It would've been quite the Christmas story if I did get to keep him. Josh's parents already freaked out when he told them, saying that it was ridiculous to spend any money on a stray, and "what happens when the next stray cat comes along?"

I'm e-mailing someone I know who wants a cat (hers passed away a couple years ago), and hopefully she's checking her inbox this week, so she can come meet him. I know that if she meets him, she'll want him for her own.

Awesome

My brother is the best. For Christmas, he gave me something totally over the top, that I never expected to receive.

The complete X Files series on DVD, including the movie.

Too awesome. My brother, I mean. But X Files is awesome too.